I asked in a previous Journal that every Emoticonist should write a comment there. You can still do it on this Journal if you haven't commented yet.I sent notes to all of those who commented there and asked them a couple of questions. And now I am going to feature all of this deviants and their answers If you saw that I have featured you and i didn't include all of your answers/or any answers, you could write a Journal and include all of your answers there. ;D

Usually to take a peek around their gallery, I love looking at different people's styles, be it shading style, eye style, animation style - the things that make their emotes look different than everyone else's

Pick 5 of your most favourite Emoticonists and describe why they are special to you, what makes them stand out from the others?

Oh wow - just 5?! But there're so many ;~;BlissfullySarcastic - Kristen was the first emoticonist I ever spoke to, she knew me long before I started making emotes for myself, back when I made splices. Her enthusiasm for the art was a huge part of why I decided to start making emotes myself.

Phlum - Once I'd started making my own emotes, Timmee was the one who kinda gave me my break in the emote community This lovely guy, who barely knew me aside from a few comments added me on skype and just started chatting away. He was the baseline from which my group of friends in the community grew, and is one of the chief reasons I've stuck around through all the drama.

Lushbob - Bobbee might not've made many emotes recently, but he's kinda the ying to Timmee's yang. Just as nutty, just as awesome, just as willing to welcome a n00b to his group of friends and make her feel welcome. I don't get to talk to either of these guys as much as I'd like to anymore, but I flove them both

Synfull - Karen is just, wow. I mean, when I first started making emotes, she was one of the emoticonists I most admired. An ex-GM, seriously established, respected and well-known in the community, and now she's one of my best online friends. My work has improved so much thanks to her critiques, and I owe her a lot for that

MerelyCubed - And last but definitely not least, ET. ET is the one of these guys I have known the longest. Way before either of us made emotes. We met in Fun4Fun way back in the day (and before MerelyCubed was his account ) and I think it'd be fair to say, we've been through a lot together ET getting back into emoting makes me very happy, because I mean c'mon, his emotes rock

^^ In addition to all these things, every single one of these people makes kickass emotes. Just sayin'

Is there anything that you want to say to the whole Emoticon community?

This community bounces up and down like a yoyo, from drama to coming together and back again, but despite that, we're still one of the closest community's on dA, and we needta remember that

How could we strengthen the connection within the Emoticon community?

As numerous people have said, we need to embrace the fact that there are groups of friends within our community, and stop begrudging people that. Every time a new group of people comes to light or tries to establish itself, there seems to be mass uproar. I understand that people can feel excluded, but there are always places for people to go to for support if they're willing to look and venture out into the community to meet new people

What kind of things do you want to see less / more in the Emoticon Gallery? (miscats excluded )

Ummm, I actually love the mix we've had so far this year, a little bit of everything and a lot more deviations in general Our gallery is more active again, with even more amazing pieces than before - it's wonderful

Do you have any words of encouragement for the next Emoticon Community Volunteer? Anything that, you think that, could be important for the next CV?

This community wants to stick together, we might not act like it sometimes with all the drama, but we always try and pick up the pieces afterwards. The will is there, we just need to find a way

What did you like and what didn't you like in the time when I was the Community Volunteer?

I love what you've done recently, with critiques on a lot of pieces including awesome suggestions and even edits to show the kind of thing you mean. I think they're a wonderful idea, although I totally understand that it's rare for people to have the kind of time to do those things I liked the competition too, I think more've them would've been good during your term

If you haven't been really active in the community, what could be done that you get more active again?

The community coming back together this year, and the new groups such as ChallengEmotes popping up, as well as the weekly memes have really given me a good reason to pixel regularly - plus, there're so many competitions going on recently, it's staggering

Pick 5 of your most favourite Emoticonists and describe why they are special to you, what makes them stand out from the others?

Let the name-dropping begin 1. MenInASuitcase, first emoticonist i watched & helped me develop my OCs2. Mirz123, She is Very caring & give you honest feedback if you want it3. Droneguard, because of his Amazing big & detailed emote4. Krissi001, you have awesome & funny emotes5. Wooded-Wolf, because of his awesome pixeling and emotion packs

What kind of things do you want to see less / more in the Emoticon Gallery? (miscats excluded )

Less/None miscats, it pisses me off if i'm trying to look at some good emote but all i see is (Excuse my language) Friggin' anime girls and teenage shows gif

If you haven't been really active in the community, what could be done that you get more active again?

When i become inactive (probably in a few weeks, i started college again), i usually do "how deviations can i submit in a time limit" or something to that effect

I check their gallery to see their emotes, and most of the time I end up watching them

Pick 5 of your most favourite Emoticonists and describe why they are special to you, what makes them stand out from the others?

-First pick would be Synfull because I've been a huge fan for a very very long time, especially since "". I really adore her deviations. She now is a very good friend.

-Then, Kyramy of course. We've been friends even before she started pixelling, and she became a great emoticonist last year. She always has good advices and is fun to spend some time with.

-I've been a fan of BlissfullySarcastic for more than a year too. I love her pixel art, the way she makes tiling patterns so easily, her dithering style and her overall talent. I happened to find a very good friend in her too.

-Then, xxghost250xx. I found out about her when I participated in Secret Santa, and I love her static pieces to every single pixel. She has a great talent and it's always a delight to go through her gallery.

-Last but not least, Web5teR who is an insane pixel artist that delivers awesome pieces of art including emotes. I am in awe in front on almost any of his deviations.

Is there anything that you want to say to the whole Emoticon community?

If "pixel art" is under the "digital art" category, emoting deserve to be more than just "customisation"!Lately the concept of emoting became much more than making emotes waiting to be added to the legend. Emoting is a form of pixel art and should be considered as such. Stand up people!

How could we strengthen the connection within the Emoticon community?

More contests, more collabs, more projects

What kind of things do you want to see less / more in the Emoticon Gallery? (miscats excluded )

More awesome pieces.

Do you have any words of encouragement for the next Emoticon Community Volunteer? Anything that, you think that, could be important for the next CV?

Good luck! Please make the community stay strong and connected!

If you are new to the Emoticon community: Do you feel welcomed? What could be done to make new emoticonists feel welcomed?

I felt very welcomed, but mainly because I had friends like Kyramy, Blissfullysarcastic and Synfull that pimped me and helped me stand out. Getting a daily deviation less than two months after starting is also a big thing for me. I think the most important thing with newcomers is to make them feel like they're at home and in the same time not hesitate to gently point out the things they could improve to make them get better.

If you have created a couple Emoticons, but then stopped creating them: What was the reason that you stopped to create Emoticons? What could be done that you start to create them again?

I started one year ago on an other account, and quickly stopped because of personal reasons. I think, the reason why I came back is when I saw the fantastic community this is.